1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to agriculture drainage irrigation equipment and more particularly to apparatus for controlling water flow within a drainage irrigation tile and the level of the water table in association with subsurface drainage and irrigation systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the agricultural field, both the economic and environmental aspects of farming are becoming a predominate concern with local and national governmental controls and regulations beginning to exert significant influence. Water management and conservation is of a primary importance both in terms of conservation of existing ground water resources and external application of water usage. Typically, external water application to crops is accomplished by conventional irrigation techniques of either above ground spraying or ground level application. In given situations, it is critical to maintain a controllable ground water table level for proper irrigation and conservation of existing resources.
In conventional tile-pipe type ground drainage systems, typically these systems carry away all water reaching them, thus lowering the water table to their subsurface level within the ground. This often is not necessary nor desirable in terms of conservation of both natural water and irrigation water sources. The net result being an inefficient attempt to control the ground water level giving minimal or no control over the conservation of water and frequently wasteful removal of water from the ground. Thus there is a need for selective control of the ground water table in response to changing environmental conditions through equipment which is readily adaptable to conventional ground irrigation and drainage systems. Further, this equipment should be economical and require little or no maintenance.